Odd Preference and Other Drabbles
by Lanthanon
Summary: Collection of kataang stories.
1. Odd Preference

_Because sometimes, Aang simply has weird taste in women._

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* * *

  
_

Kuzon was 14 when Aang met him at the age of 10, in the shores of Ember Island where Monk Gyatso would take him during the summer. Despite the age difference, Kuzon had a mischievous spirit that rivalled Aang's own, as the two pulled various pranks on the poor unsuspecting tourists and visitors hanging out in the beach.

When the airbender asked the young Fire Nation what he was doing here, the boy would puff his black bangs in annoyance as he sourly admitted his family dragged him here to meet his fiancee.

"Arrange marriages suck." He finished, kicking the sand at his feet.

Aang perked up, he never seen Kuzon looked so down. "Well, what kind of girl is she?"

"Well," Kuzon said slowly, brows furrowed in contemplation "She's nice looking, I guess. But mom keeps going on and on how intelligent she is in the Academy and top of her class and junk like that. Actually... I never get the chance to know her pretty well."

"So how'd you assume your arrange marriage will suck if you don't know her at all?"

Kuzon groaned at his friend's naivete. "I just do alright?" He frowned. "Wait, why the heck are you giving me girl advice? Do you know how old you are?"

Aang puffed his small chest in affront. "Hey, I know what kind of girl I want, thank you very much!"

"Oh?"

"She's strong, and kind and smart. The type of girl who always speaks her mind."

Kuzon stared at Aang in a dumbstruck expression before bursting into a peal of laughter.

"What?" Aang demanded, feeling his face flushed at his friend's reaction.

"You're probably the first guy in my life who told me the first thing you like in a girl is her brain." Kuzon chuckled. "Not 'beautiful' or 'smells nice' or 'great cook'."

"Well those are good reasons too!" Aang protested.

"_Always speaks her mind_? Hotman, she's gonna run you ragged with her opinions!" Kuzon calmed down long enough for him to clap his hand on Aang's shoulder in a gesture of sympathy. "But hey, I won't judge your taste."

Aang was taken aback, "My taste? What's wrong with my taste?"

But Kuzon dropped the matter altogether with a knowing smile, though it always puzzled Aang ever since.

* * *

"My taste isn't that bad, right guys?" In the same spot in the Ember Island beach many years after the War, as Aang recalled his story to his new best friends while watching the sunset. "Katara's a wonderful girl."

He suddenly realized that Sokka and Zuko were unusually quiet. "Right?" Aang again stressed, frowning at their lack of response.

"Yeah. Well... well, uh, I am happy for you." Zuko said, his eyes sideways as if the grain of sand at his left was the most interesting object he had ever seen in his life.

"Hey, I'm her brother. And I think it's awesome you and Katara are together." Sokka said, his grin unusually large, an eyebrow twitching. "Seriously."

Aang smiled, relieved of his friends' support on the matter. "Thanks, guys." He airbended himself to stand as he walked away to grab the large sack they collected from the ocean.

Zuko made sure Aang was way out of earshot when he muttered under his breath to the Water Tribe warrior. "Um... didn't Aang notice the reason we're here in the first place is that Katara's practically ordering us to get the ridiculous amount of sea urchins for that soup?"

"My sister is such a slave driver." Sokka whined. "I should have spend this afternoon with Suki!"

"Why didn't you just say no?"

Sokka threw him a challenging retort. "Why didn't you?"

"Hey, I've seen enough of Katara's wrath when I was the bad guy to teach me not to mess with her." Zuko shook his head as he watched Aang happily hummed, oblivious of their resentment. "Y'know... I really wonder what exactly he sees in her sometimes."

Sokka sighed again burying his face in his arms. "You and me both, buddy."


	2. Regression

_In which Katara needs to be taken care of sometimes_

* * *

She called for her mother in her sleep whenever she is in a deep fever (something that she is embarrassed to admit sometimes… in light of the years of travel and the life changing field trip with the not then Firelord that put her anger over her loss away for good). But losing strength in her limbs, her sense of control of her waterbending, body shivering relentlessly in the middle of summer in a desert town, her confidence equally diminished as she huddled against the bedsheets, teeth chattering as her bones ached.

A hand gently touched her brow, followed by a wet cloth pressed against her heated skin, easing her discomfort somewhat. He would make her sit up and drink the herbal tea that stayed by her bedside, always warm. And at night after the sheets were changed, she dimly heard a soft song drifting quietly in the room, about tales of a mother skybison chasing the tail of her mischievous black calf for running off with the eastern star, calming her nerves and making her sleepy.

Safe and comforted just like that time when her own mother was alive her body reacted to it as well, curling at her side comfortably in bed and holding his hand with her own as she dozed, wanting him to be there by her side when she wakes up in the morning.

And he always did.


	3. Spirits

_Aang has other otherworldly responsibilities._

* * *

Katara was aware that the human world was not the only thing that required Aang's attention. She knew this from their various adventures years ago.

So along with the restoration of the world: peace negotiations, civil unrests in the Fire Nation and many many political meetings with the world leaders; Aang would quietly take her aside and inform her that he would leave for a few days and she didn't need to hear his reasons why.

The solstice was coming near. Visions and dreams reached Aang; as the spirits also seeked his help...

And as much as she hated to admit it, it was the one thing that she knew that she cannot be a part of.

* * *

How Aang left to that mysterious spirit world varied... sometimes, he would simply undergo that meditative state and contacted them directly in his unconscious form. Sometimes he would disappear altogether, just like the time with the Lion Turtle, and return just as quickly.

Sometimes, he would leave to the other parts of the world... because the spirits of the dead that the war claimed all cried out to him.

* * *

"Who is Koh?" Katara asked one time, hearing Aang calling out that name in his sleep.

The Avatar would never tell her the details of that spirit. A sigh and a brief sentence, "A past regret," was all she could get from him.

* * *

Sokka stopped looking at the moon, for he was now content with the love of the young Kyoshi Warrior.

But Aang continued his talks with Yue, despite that only he can see her corporeal form, and Katara let him be.

* * *

  
One time, Aang unwittingly scared Gran Gran and Suki when they saw him dropped the necklace he was weaving for Sokka's daughter from his unresponsive fingers; staring blankly ahead. They grew more alarmed when tears came unbidden in his eyes, rolling from his cheeks and falling to the ground.

Immediately Katara came running in after her sister-in-law told her.... in which they found out that Aang was back to himself, crying and laughing happily. Concerned, Katara knelt beside him, giving him a comforting hand on his shoulder when he told her quietly.

"Gyatso came. He told me he was proud."


	4. Banter

BANTER

*SUKI*

"I didn't like her at first, really. She's an outsider, a girl. She had to resort to sneak attacks just to get to us and she's kinda arrogant."

"She gave me dumplings that night."

"Well she kind of grew up emulating your past life, Aang. Of COURSE she'll treat you nice the first time. That doesn't count."

"Shh, Aang stop interrupting. Then what?"

"Well, she made me change my mind that girls aren't that bad at all. She's also an excellent warrior, so I can't help respecting her afterwards."

"Considering she respected you when you're wearing a dress, that IS pretty darn impressive."

"HEY! WHO TOLD YOU THAT?! AANG!"

"It's not me! Really! I didn't! Besides, you practically told everyone about that in the invasion speech anyways!"

"That's not the point! I thought you and I have a sacred bond! That includes keeping umanly embarrassing secrets!"

"Hey, I wore that Kyoshi uniform too! It's not a big deal."

"Actually, Sokka, Suki told me about that part about you in the uniform. Not Aang."

"Oh..."

"..."

"Did I just hear you say you wore a dress, Aang?"

"Ahahahahaha..."

"Well, to be fair, you DID look good in it."

"Shut up, Sokka."

*****

*MAI*

"She has this quiet, kind of mysterious air around her you can't help not noticing when she's round. I remember the time Azula threw scorpion ants at her and Ty Lee in the garden back when we were kids. Ty Lee would be all weepy and wailing, but Mai pretty much kept her cool when they're all over her head. She told me later she find bugs kind of cute that's why it didn't bother her."

"..."

"What?"

"..."

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

"She got your attention... by having insects in her hair?"

"You ARE weird."

"I AM NOT!"

"Sokka!"

"OK, you're not, but that's just a really weird visual."

"Oh forget it!"

"Come on, Zuko! We won't make fun of you! Just tell us what happened next."

"Her parents always attends the parties my mom puts up for the summer solstice. Mai's parents are hopeless suck-ups. We ended up together sometimes having nothing to do. Ty Lee and Azula would run off and we had time for ourselves."

"I can't imagine you two spending much time talking, really."

"We don't. But Mai had a pretty good sense of humor. She made me laugh occasionally."

"Really? Maybe she and I could exchange jokes when I visit next time."

"Don't push your luck, Sokka."

*KATARA*

"Ugh, no, Aang! I'm invoking my 'Big Brother Doesn't Want to Know What Best Friend and Little Sister Are Doing With Their Alone Time' law!"

"Also I'm not really interested... you fawning over Katara is kinda... girly."

"Precisely! I want my testosterone fix, darnit!"

"Thanks guys. You're really helping the magic of the moment."

"No offense, Aang. But you're way touchy feely about this whole thing. Then again, I guess that's the reason why you two worked together so well."

"Yeah, my sister's way more... uh... relaxed ever since you two started dating. So I guess that's a good thing."

"Thanks, I think?"


End file.
